NFL Player News

Mathis expects to be ready for the start of training camp, which is what the majority of NFL players say in the offseason even if it’s overly optimistic. Mathis will be eight months removed from surgery by the beginning of August.

Alrighty then. A returning Dre Greenlaw (achilles) felt achilles and knee soreness and had to check out. Coach Kyle Shanahan called on free agent addition Campbell and he refused to play. His teammates were in disbelief afterward, saying they expected Campbell to get cut. Second that. Campbell has been a regular this season, playing 719 snaps entering Week 14. It won’t be easy to replace someone at this juncture, but he will definitely be waived, likely on Friday.

Jennings was the top option in terms of targets in the 49ers’ passing attack, but he was held completely in check with some credit going to the Rams’ defense and a lot of credit going to the San Francisco passing attack being atrocious in the Thursday Night Football contest. Jennings will be in the WR2 range — with some volatility — for Week 16 against the Dolphins.

Kupp received the first target of the game, and while he received two more chances, he essentially became a blocker on screens for Puka Nacua and the 29 rushing attempts for Kyren Williams. It’s the first time that Kupp has been held without a catch since November 10, 2019 against the Steelers. The 31-year-old will hope to be more involved against Week 16 against the Jets, but you have to acknowledge the risks.

Kittle found space on easily the longest play of the game for the 49ers on a 33-yard connection with Brock PUrdy. He also just missed on a long gain down the sideline on a play that probably should have drawn a flag. It’s a far cry from his 6-151 line against the Bears the previous week, but considering Purdy only threw for 142 yards all day, this could have been a lot worse. He should find some open space again in Week 16 against the Dolphins.

It’s weird to say someone as fast as Guerendo had a “plodding” game, but that would be an accurate description. The Rams keyed in on the run, and the speedy 24-year-old was not able to find holes against the Los Angeles front seven. It didn’t help that the Rams had no reason to respect the 49ers’ passing attack, but it was still a disappointing effort even when you acknowledge he was on short rest and dealing with a foot injury. Guerendo will be a RB2 against the Dolphins in Week 16.

Oh dear. Samuel infamously asked for more targets this week, and he got them. He just didn’t catch them. He had a drop that would have been a walk-in touchdown late in the contest, and in a game where the 49ers lost by six without reaching the end zone, there’s going to be talk. His long catch was for just six yards on a night where the passing game was hurt by atrocious weather, an inaccurate Brock Purdy, and some contested catches that Samuel just didn’t make. He is an extremely volatile play for Week 16 against the Dolphins.

Nacua’s line is fine — better than fine, really — but it’s a little misleading. Everything for the second-year wideout was short yardage until he was able to beat the San Francisco secondary on a busted coverage for a 51-yard gain. Still, it’s another game over 90 yards for the 23-year-old, and that’s a mark he’s hit in five of his last six opportunities. Nacua will be a WR1 for Week 16 against the Jets.

Ugly. Purdy and the passing game was hurt by the rain — particularly in the first half — and he should have had a touchdown pass if not for a heinous drop by Deebo Samuel. Still, this was a very ineffective effort for the 24-year-old quarterback, and he missed on several throws. The biggest miss was the most costly; as he overthrew his target by 10-plus yards while San Francisco was in field goal range, and the pass was intercepted by Darius Williams. Purdy is back on the field in Week 16 against the Dolphins. It can’t go worse than this.

Stafford was dreadful in the first half while completing just three passes — all for short yardage — and while he was better in the second half as the weather improved, it was still an ugly effort from a fantasy perspective. Close to a third of his yardage came on a 51-yard connection to Puka Nacua that came on broken coverage. At least he didn’t turn the ball over. It’s disappointing after Stafford was so brilliant in Week 14 against the Bills, but he’ll get a chance to rebound against the Jets in Week 16.

This was ugly, partially due to the rainy weather in Santa Clara, partially due to the short rest for both teams, and partially because, well, it just was. Williams was the most effective weapon for the Rams, and while he didn’t have any big gashes — a long gain of just 10 yards in the victory — he was able to keep the chains moving just enough. That’s now 58 carries over the last two games for Williams, and he’ll be happy to get a long break until Week 16 against the Jets.